Karnataka Announces 2026 Rajyotsava Awards for 71 Achievers

The Karnataka government announced the 2026 Karnataka Rajyotsava Awards for 71 achievers on 30 October. The awards will be conferred on 1 November, during the 71st Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations. Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi confirmed the announcement.

Awardees and award details

Each award comprises ₹5 lakh and a 25-gram gold medal. The awardees include former Karnataka Advocate General B.V. Acharya, A.C. Bhandary of Akhila Bharata Tulu Okkuta, Yakshagana artiste Gopala Ganiga, photojournalist Vishwanath Suvarna, writer and researcher Dr Indira Hegde, politician Kagodu Thimmappa, actor Ashok, former IAS officer Teresa Bhattacharya and engineer K.N. Venkata Krishna Rao.

The list includes seven awardees in folk arts, three in music, one in dance and three in cinema and television. Twelve women are among the recipients. Tangadagi said Vatal Nagaraj declined the award, although he had been considered for his work to preserve Kannada.

Important Facts for Exams

• Civilian rank: The Rajyotsava Award is Karnataka’s second-highest civilian honour.
• State formation and renaming: Karnataka Rajyotsava marks the 1956 formation of the Kannada-speaking state, then called Mysore; the state adopted the name Karnataka in 1973.
• Yakshagana regional styles: Yakshagana has two major regional styles, Badagutittu and Tenkutittu, associated respectively with northern and southern coastal Karnataka and differing in performance conventions.
• Tulu’s constitutional status: Tulu is a Dravidian language concentrated in coastal Karnataka and adjoining Kerala; it is not listed among India’s constitutionally scheduled languages.